Getting Residence Permits for DR in UK

Caz

New member
May 15, 2004
262
6
0
Has anybody any experience of trying to get permanent or tempory residence permits at the DR consulate in London UK. Any idea of the process and cost involved.

Any notaries is London acceptable to DR Consulate there would be useful.

We are thinking of moving out to DR North coast and would like to get residency permits in place before we leave.

Any info good or bad welcomed.

CAZ
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
Search for Info

There is a whole section on obtaining residency here outside the forums. I think you have to do in once landed in the DR with the departments that do that sort fo thing in the DR not at ac onsulate.
 

BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,829
329
0
79
www.casabush.org
Caz said:
Has anybody any experience of trying to get permanent or tempory residence permits at the DR consulate in London UK. Any idea of the process and cost involved.

Any notaries is London acceptable to DR Consulate there would be useful.

We are thinking of moving out to DR North coast and would like to get residency permits in place before we leave.

Any info good or bad welcomed.

CAZ

Once you have checked the Archives on this subject you will see there is ABSOLUTELY no need to get Residency until you get here. Your tourist visa (normally issued on flight) will give you 3 months here legit, you can then think about residency after that. Most of us on the North Coast know a decent lawyer who can handle it for you (US $1,000 upwards). E-mail or PM me once you have read the archives! - Grahame.
 

FireGuy

Rest in peace Amigo!
Aug 21, 2002
2,516
74
0
70
www.polaris-fs.com
Sorry Grahame,

BushBaby said:
Your tourist visa (normally issued on flight) will give you 3 months here legit, you can then think about residency after that.

The newest incarnation of the Tourist cards say only 15 days, but then again this being the DR, maybe it still doesn't matter.

www.polaris-fs.com/images/TouristCard.jpg

Gregg

P.S. - johnsr has your tipple and he arrives soon, I believe.
 
Dec 9, 2002
819
2
0
This new one will certainly be easier to fill out than the one with all the tiny little boxes for each individual letter.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
Not that it matters, cost-wise

FireGuy said:
The newest incarnation of the Tourist cards say only 15 days, but then again this being the DR, maybe it still doesn't matter.

These tourist cards now say 15 days to collect this miserly exit fine of a whole RD$62 (US$1.25) for the 16-90 days that was covered in the past on the cards. the fine for over FIVE years is in the order of RD$1000 or less than US$25.

I am curious what's the reason to apply for residency at all? Other than the driver's licence issue and the ability to sue people, you can stay under the radar for years without the cost of residency.
 

BushBaby

Silver
Jan 1, 2002
3,829
329
0
79
www.casabush.org
ricktoronto said:
I am curious what's the reason to apply for residency at all? Other than the driver's licence issue and the ability to sue people, you can stay under the radar for years without the cost of residency.

True Rick, many people think they HAVE to get Residencia when in fact they do not HAVE to. The main reason we got Residencia was to keep ourselves TOTALLY legal & to show all the Dominicans we come into contact with, that we are here to stay & want to be treated as Dominicans (i.e. so DON'T try to overcharge me at Gringo prices!!!). Those without Residencia are fairly easy to get shipped out of the country if they upset locals/Ex-Pats because just one 'phone call to the powers that be & "Good-Bye" whatever your name is!!!

Personally, I always recommend it as I feel it makes one more commited to this contry & certainly should give the feeling of extra security - but it is not essential!! Many, many people I know who live here just have never bothered to go down the Residencia Route & they are perfectly happy not to want to get "Legal"!! - Grahame
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
Good Points with one observation

BushBaby said:
Those without Residencia are fairly easy to get shipped out of the country if they upset locals/Ex-Pats because just one 'phone call to the powers that be & "Good-Bye" whatever your name is!!!

This part I don't think confers much staying power if you are wanted out by the cheeses you are out, less protection than a landed immigrant here in Canada or the UK I'd say where you'd have some due process required to deport you after landed status. The cost of residency is not cheap either biennially.

For tax purposes if and when I retire in the DR, I may have to get residency to show the tax authorities here I am not a Canadian resident anymore. However I am working on Irish citizenship to defer pension withholding entirely, with my 2nd cousin's house as my address.........
 

Gregg

New member
Apr 26, 2004
176
0
0
BushBaby said:
True Rick, many people think they HAVE to get Residencia when in fact they do not HAVE to. The main reason we got Residencia was to keep ourselves TOTALLY legal & to show all the Dominicans we come into contact with, that we are here to stay & want to be treated as Dominicans (i.e. so DON'T try to overcharge me at Gringo prices!!!). Those without Residencia are fairly easy to get shipped out of the country if they upset locals/Ex-Pats because just one 'phone call to the powers that be & "Good-Bye" whatever your name is!!!

from a newbie perspective, i thought the true advantage of the residency visa was the ability to ship household effects to the DR without incurring the customs charges. or is this not really a big deal? i do not want to have to re-purchase everything or live in someone else's furnishings.

also thought that some tax-free investing also required the residency visa.

it does seem that costs to apply are considerably lower (and easier?) done through a consulate or embassy abroad. this of course, does not apply to the permanent residency once you are in the DR.
 

ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
4,837
0
0
Why?

Gregg said:
....ship household effects to the DR without incurring the customs charges. or is this not really a big deal? i do not want to have to re-purchase everything or live in someone else's furnishings.

also thought that some tax-free investing also required the residency visa.

it does seem that costs to apply are considerably lower (and easier?) done through a consulate or embassy abroad. this of course, does not apply to the permanent residency once you are in the DR.

From reading the threads over the years, and ahving residency or not,it seems the idea of shipping a container of stuff you can just as easily buy on arrival is fraught with problems and costs that makes it all quite unpleasant.

You are free to open bank accounts using your passport and they can't tax you on what they don't know about, and in any event local interest earned is tax free and I don't think they determine that by residency status.

And I'd heed Grahame's advice and skip any application for anything until after arrival since you just need to be arrived in any legal form to start the process.
 

Gregg

New member
Apr 26, 2004
176
0
0
ricktoronto said:
From reading the threads over the years, and ahving residency or not,it seems the idea of shipping a container of stuff you can just as easily buy on arrival is fraught with problems and costs that makes it all quite unpleasant.

QUOTE]

i suppose you're right but i don't know if my family could give everything up. it will be tough enough to make the move. i'm talking about items like antique furniture, books, artwork etc.. that are very personal and really make up one's home. they can't simply be re-purchased like a TV set or air conditioner.

i do think that emigrating is a process of letting go but i'd hate to go too far without really considering the personal cost and understanding what i and my family are capable of.

also, i thought that purchasing a container (under $200 CDN) and keeping it for locked storage on the property (rural) would be a great asset if there are no suitable outbuildings on the property.
 

FireGuy

Rest in peace Amigo!
Aug 21, 2002
2,516
74
0
70
www.polaris-fs.com
Hi Gregg,

Greetings from Nova Scotia.

Two points to consider (just speculating).

1) If any of the personal items are very sentimental or valuable (furniture, art) you should investigate how well they might survive in a Caribbean climate (heat, humidity, etc.) when they are fully aclimatized to a North american Climate.

2) Your storage shed idea might have merit or it might just be one big oven (depending on placement and direct sun load). High ceilings and open windows or lack of walls serve a purpose in the Caribbean.

Just some food for thought.

Gregg

P.S. - Nice spelling.
 

Gregg

New member
Apr 26, 2004
176
0
0
FireGuy said:
Greetings from Nova Scotia.

Two points to consider (just speculating).

1) If any of the personal items are very sentimental or valuable (furniture, art) you should investigate how well they might survive in a Caribbean climate (heat, humidity, etc.) when they are fully aclimatized to a North american Climate.

2) Your storage shed idea might have merit or it might just be one big oven (depending on placement and direct sun load). High ceilings and open windows or lack of walls serve a purpose in the Caribbean.

Just some food for thought.

Gregg

P.S. - Nice spelling.

thanks Gregg. i am reviewing all of our stuff for a different climate. however, our summers are just as humid here. if anything it is the drastic drop in humidity during winter which really screws things up and causes splitting etc..
i definitely would not want to bring the "particle board" type furniture to the DR though. books may also be a problem.

i have a similar shed i use here. bone ugly but useful. yes, it does become an oven in summer. just use it for tools and equipment (and a guesthouse for my monther-in law!!) i mistyped the price, it is around $2000 CDN.

i may change my name to Gregorio when we move (seriously!). nobody from a non-anglo background can ever say "Gregg". it's like those Slavic names with no consonants...very harsh to speak. my last name is German, starting with a "k". i can barely say the two together gently after almost 40 years practice.
 

FireGuy

Rest in peace Amigo!
Aug 21, 2002
2,516
74
0
70
www.polaris-fs.com
That's funny,

The first time I ever went to the DR my favourite bartender couldn't say "Gregg" - so I told him "Gregg" like Gregorio; you know Gregorio Luperon (a historic DR General). For the rest of the trip I was; you guessed it - "Gregorio.

Gregg
 

Simon & Nicky

Bronze
Feb 3, 2004
655
14
0
www.simon-hall.co.uk
dont bloody bother

Speaking as a true Brit who only just got here; dont even bother with the DR embassy in London. They sent us a form to help us get our stuff in - it cost 40 quid and it was a blank sheet of paper. This was totally useless because: a) it was all in spanish and they refused to send us a translation
b) when we showed it to our import agent he told us that without the official stamp it was worthless.

Conclusion, this was the first "bad taste" of DR ways we have had to contend with and now we just try our best with the knowledge we have picked up since we arrived.

There are rumours of fast-track residency which takes a few days and costs something like $2000. We only had to pay around $1400 to bring our stuff in anyway without full residency.

You should go for residency for nothing more than the "feel good factor" and like you've already seen posted - fall out with someone and they'll have you chucked out!

- One last thing - all our friends who come to visit get their tourist cards from the embassy before they travel. Send a photocopy of your passport and a postal order for a few quid and it speeds up all the nonsense at the airport with people clammering to buy a tourist card on arrival.

S&N
 

Maca_lert

New member
Nov 20, 2007
25
4
0
Speaking as a true Brit who only just got here; dont even bother with the DR embassy in London.

Simon (or any other Brit with the knowledge) - did you get your birth certificate certified by the DR consulate in London before leaving? This is the one residency requirement I didn't know about, so I'm thinking of arranging it the next time I pass through London. An email query to the embassy hasn't been answered. Any info such as consulate address (same as embassy?), opening times, fees, processing time etc. would be welcome.

Thanks, David
 

Matilda

RIP Lindsay
Sep 13, 2006
5,485
338
63
I had my birth certificate translated and certified by a lawyer when I got here. Takes little time and costs little but I can't remember how much.
 

Maca_lert

New member
Nov 20, 2007
25
4
0
Ah thanks. I'm just a little surprised Sr Guzman and associates didn't suggest this as he knew this was holding things up for me and his firm stood to make some money from the process. Thanks again.
 

marliejaneca

Bronze
Oct 7, 2003
980
10
0
This thread is 3 1/2 years old, it might be good to check the up to date procedures on this instead of relying on old information.

Marlie
 

Maca_lert

New member
Nov 20, 2007
25
4
0
Hi

Yep, I hope everyone is impressed that I used the search before posting my question! :) While Simon's info might be old, I'm hoping that other Brits will have applied for residency more recently and will be able to pass on the up-to-date procedures.

Thanks

David